I feel that MDMA is a better choice for first timers of anything (it was for me). Then you have no hallucinations and only warm, pleasant waves of good feeling. It makes for a very good experience for anyone reticent about drugs as a whole.
Since LSD and shrooms have the possibility of a "bad trip" if you're in the wrong headspace, i think MDMA is a better "jump off" as it can be counted on for a positive experience. To quote a friend: "I've never had to try to convince anyone to roll a second time." :)

We know *exactly* who the reptile people are, where they came from and (frighteningly) why they are here.

Diana unavailable for comment:

Fantastic. But I think it would be even better if he didn't reveal the inspiration until *after* the story is told. I think finding out that it was based on a real story would hit even harder. Great stuff.

As I always seem to do... I'll drop in the link here for the great documentary on this subject (available to stream on Netflix) for those interested in more details of the story:
Atari: Game Over

Did anyone else immediately think of Frank (Hellraiser)?

I wonder how many here will share my sentiment...
During my college days, The Comedy Channel would stay on in the background for hours during study time...
To this day I miss Short Attention Span Theater, Saturday morning breakfasts with Mystery Science Theater 3000 and working late into the evening with Nick Bakay and Allan Havey on Night After Night. I especially miss the last one.

I like how Southerners (who tend to be the most adamant deniers of Darwinism) tend to simultaneously be the ones to prove its veracity.

(Lived in TX the majority of my life, so I'm speaking from the experience of my surroundings)

Notice the banner behind him... "Rushes".

The name of a VFX company in the UK: Rushes VFX

2+2 and all... :)

Back in Architecture school in Arlington (UTA) we would often go to the Ft Worth Water Gardens to sketch... I would always think of Logan's Run when there. And my prom was held at the Dallas Apparel Mart (where much of the interiors were filmed). I've lived a very Logan's Run life, I guess.
Run, runner!

I now (and you too, John, I believe) live in Nevada! Let's hit the BlackJack table!

This concept is the same type of probability that governs the "Monty Hall" problem of which door to choose on Let's Make a Deal:
Monty Hall Problem

If you are shown a "wrong" door and are given the chance to switch before the final reveal, it is in your interest to do so as the probability of winning is higher. Seems counter-intuitive, but the math proves it.

The intro to the fantastic surf doc "Billabong Odyssey" (unfortunately it came out before HD was everywhere) has Mike Parsons riding what is considered by many to be the biggest wave ever caught on film. If you're into big wave riding and can find it, the whole documentary is amazing.
Mike Parsons on a 100ft wave
The first time I saw the footage I was blown away. The aerial shot keeps pulling back and keeps pulling back and keeps pulling back... but the bottom of the wave just never seems to come. And he manages to ride it all the way out of the spray. The Cortes Bank. Insanity.

Maureen Ponderosa unavailable for comment

I know that in design classes we were often taught to have our light source painting from left to right (casting shadows to the lower right) because this (we were told) felt more "natural"... but I've always wondered if this is only true for "western" eyes... cultures that read from left to right, parse books from left to right, etc.
I'd be interested to see how it fares among readers of middle eastern languages (often read right to left) or Asians (languages read top to bottom) to see if what feels "natural" to them differs.